Quick answer: Covent Garden’s shops trade 10am–8pm Monday to Saturday and 11am–6pm on Sunday, with the Piazza, restaurants and the Apple Market open later for evening dining. The Market Building itself is a public space that never closes — it is the individual shops that keep these hours.
Covent Garden is one of London’s best-loved shopping and dining quarters — a pedestrianised piazza in the heart of the West End, anchored by the Victorian Market Building and surrounded by an unusually deep run of designer boutiques, beauty flagships and restaurants. This guide sets out the opening times for every day of the week, the calmer windows to visit, Sunday hours and the Christmas pattern, alongside the shops worth crossing town for and the practical detail on getting there and where to eat.
Covent Garden Opening Times
Covent Garden is not a single-roof shopping centre but a pedestrianised district managed by Shaftesbury Capital, with the historic Market Building — home to the Apple Market and the East Colonnade Market — at its heart. The hours below are the schedule most shops and the central market keep; the Piazza itself is a public space, open day and night.
| Day | Covent Garden hours |
|---|---|
| Monday | 10.00am – 8.00pm |
| Tuesday | 10.00am – 8.00pm |
| Wednesday | 10.00am – 8.00pm |
| Thursday | 10.00am – 8.00pm |
| Friday | 10.00am – 8.00pm |
| Saturday | 10.00am – 8.00pm |
| Sunday | 11.00am – 6.00pm |
The 11am to 6pm Sunday window reflects the Sunday Trading Act, which caps larger shops at six hours’ trading. Restaurants, cafés and the Royal Opera House run longer hours every day. Inside the Market Building, the Apple Market craft traders open daily from 10am to 6pm (antiques and collectables on Mondays), and the East Colonnade Market runs 10.30am to 7pm.
Correct as of June 2026. Hours are set by Shaftesbury Capital and individual retailers and do change for seasonal and brand reasons — please check the official Covent Garden website before a special trip.
Saturday hours
Saturday hours run 10am to 8pm — ten hours of trading, and the busiest day of the week. Crowds peak around the Piazza between noon and 4pm, so the calmest window for serious browsing is the first ninety minutes, when you can wander the Apple Market before the lunchtime swell arrives.
Sunday hours
Sunday hours are 11am to 6pm for the shops, with the Apple Market craft traders open from 10am. It is one of the most atmospheric times to visit: the buskers are out in force and Royal Opera House matinee crowds add to the buzz around the Piazza.
Daily and seasonal variations
The standard hours above apply on any ordinary day, with one weekly variation: on Mondays the Apple Market turns over to antiques and collectables. The exceptions to watch are Christmas Day (closed), Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve and Easter Sunday, all of which run reduced or no trading.
Covent Garden shops on a Sunday
Yes, Covent Garden is open on Sundays, and it is one of the nicest days to come. The shops trade 11am to 6pm, while the Market Building, the Apple Market craft stalls (from 10am), the restaurants and the street performers keep the Piazza lively well beyond those hours. Under the Sunday Trading Act, larger shops — those over 280 square metres — may only open for a continuous six-hour stretch on a Sunday, which is why the district settles into an 11am–6pm rhythm rather than the longer weekday day. Smaller boutiques are free to open longer, and many do, so if you arrive before eleven you will still find plenty trading around the edges. The quietest Sunday window is the first hour after opening, before the matinee and brunch crowds arrive.
Hours for the headline shops
| Store | Typical hours (confirm for a special trip) |
|---|---|
| Apple, The Piazza | Mon–Sat 10am–8pm · Sun 12pm–6pm |
| Charlotte Tilbury (James Street flagship) | Mon–Sat 10am–8pm · Sun 11am–6pm |
| Mulberry (Long Acre) | Mon–Sat 10am–8pm · Sun 11am–6pm |
| Reiss / AllSaints / COS (Long Acre) | Mon–Sat 10am–8pm · Sun 11am–6pm |
| Apple Market (craft traders) | Daily 10am–6pm |
| East Colonnade Market | Daily 10.30am–7pm |
Individual shops set their own hours and brand flagships sometimes vary them for events — these follow the district pattern but are typical only. Check the retailer’s own page before making a special journey.
Covent Garden Christmas Opening Times
Covent Garden keeps longer hours in the run-up to Christmas, with many December evenings extending to 9pm or 10pm. The towering Christmas tree, the giant reindeer and the chandelier-style lights make the Piazza one of the most photographed corners of London in December. Shaftesbury Capital publishes the exact festive schedule in late autumn; the table below pairs the verified 2026 dates with the pattern the district usually follows — treat the times as typical and confirm nearer the time.
| Date (2026) | Typical hours — confirm in December |
|---|---|
| Mid–late December weekdays | 10am – 10pm |
| Thu 24 Dec (Christmas Eve) | 10am – 5pm |
| Fri 25 Dec (Christmas Day) | Closed |
| Sat 26 Dec (Boxing Day) | 11am – 7pm |
| Sun 27 – Wed 30 Dec | 11am – 7pm (Sun) · 10am – 8pm (Mon–Wed) |
| Thu 31 Dec (New Year’s Eve) | 10am – 6pm |
| Fri 1 Jan 2027 (New Year’s Day) | Reduced hours, many from noon |
Correct as of June 2026. Hours are set by Shaftesbury Capital and individual retailers and do change for seasonal and brand reasons — please check the official Covent Garden website before a special trip.
Easter and bank holidays
Over Easter, the larger shops must close on Easter Sunday — 28 March 2027 — under the same Sunday Trading rules, though the smaller boutiques, cafés and restaurants generally stay open on shorter hours. Good Friday (26 March), Easter Saturday and Easter Monday all trade on standard or lightly extended hours.
On bank holiday Mondays the district usually keeps its standard 10am to 8pm hours.
What shops are at Covent Garden?
The shopping spreads across four distinct clusters: the Apple Market and East Colonnade traders inside the historic Market Building, the Jubilee Market on the south side, and the boutique streets that ring the Piazza — King Street, James Street, Long Acre, Henrietta Street, Floral Street, Neal Street and Seven Dials. Across the wider neighbourhood there are more than 300 shops, restaurants and experiences; the headline names by category are below.
Apple Market and the historic Market Building
The Apple Market sits beneath the central Market Building’s glass roof — small specialist traders selling handmade jewellery, leather, ceramics, prints, gifts and souvenirs. The East Colonnade hosts the Antiques & Collectables Market on Mondays. The arts and crafts traders are unique to Covent Garden — these aren’t chain stores you’ll find at Westfield or Bluewater.
Beauty and fragrance
Covent Garden has become one of London’s deepest beauty destinations. The anchor is Charlotte Tilbury, whose expanded Beauty Wonderland flagship sits on the corner of James Street beside the Royal Opera House. Around it you will find Chanel, Tom Ford, NARS, Guerlain, Penhaligon’s, Aēsop, Diptyque, Le Labo, Jo Malone London, Creed, Space NK, Glossier, Miller Harris, Molton Brown, Lush and Boots.
Fashion: premium and contemporary
Long Acre is the main fashion run, lined with Reiss, Whistles, AllSaints, COS, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Sandro, Maje, Jigsaw and Levi’s. The Mulberry flagship and the Burberry boutique anchor the premium end, with Massimo Dutti and Uniqlo nearby.
Lifestyle, gifts and homeware
The Apple store at 1–7 The Piazza, set inside the historic market building, is among the brand’s most-visited in the UK. Other draws include the LEGO Store, Watches of Switzerland, TAG Heuer, Pandora and Swarovski, alongside the design and homeware names dotted around Neal Street and Floral Street.
Food, drink and leisure
The dining is among the best in central London. Sit-down names include Balthazar, Dishoom, The Ivy Market Grill, Rules — London’s oldest restaurant — and Petersham Nurseries Café, with Seven Dials Market a few minutes north for a relaxed food-hall lunch. The Royal Opera House and the London Transport Museum both sit on the Piazza.
Late-night shopping at Covent Garden
Covent Garden trades to 8pm Monday to Saturday as standard — later than most West End clusters outside Oxford Street’s Thursday extension. The 6pm to 8pm window is the calmest stretch of the day for the boutiques, just as the restaurants and the Piazza fill up for evening dining and the Opera House. The genuine late-night season is December, when many shops stay open until 10pm.
Getting to Covent Garden
By Tube
Covent Garden Tube station (Piccadilly Line) sits directly on the central piazza — but the small lifts often have queues, so most regulars use Leicester Square or Holborn (both about a 5-minute walk away).
By bus
The Strand and Aldwych nearby are served by major bus routes from across central London. Routes 9, 11, 15, 23, 91 and 139 all stop within a few minutes’ walk.
By rail
Charing Cross is a 10-minute walk south, with mainline rail to south-east London and Kent.
Where to Eat at Covent Garden
Among the best-known kitchens are Balthazar, Dishoom, The Ivy Market Grill, Rules and Petersham Nurseries Café, with Seven Dials Market for something more casual. Most kitchens serve until 10pm or 11pm, with bars and dessert spots running later.
Covent Garden opening times: your questions answered
What time does Covent Garden open?
Most shops open at 10am Monday to Saturday and 11am on Sunday. The Apple Market craft traders open at 10am every day, and the East Colonnade Market from 10.30am. The Piazza and the Market Building themselves are open spaces you can walk through at any hour.
What time does Covent Garden close?
Shops close at 8pm Monday to Saturday and 6pm on Sunday. Restaurants and the Royal Opera House run later into the evening, and in December many shops extend to 10pm.
Is Covent Garden open on Sundays?
Yes. The shops trade 11am to 6pm every Sunday, with the Apple Market craft traders open from 10am and the restaurants and Piazza busy throughout the day. The six-hour Sunday window for larger shops is set by the Sunday Trading Act.
Is Covent Garden open on bank holidays?
Yes, apart from Christmas Day. Bank holiday Mondays usually run the standard 10am to 8pm hours, though some smaller boutiques keep shorter ones.
What are Covent Garden Christmas opening times?
December hours are extended, with many shops open until 10pm. In 2026, Christmas Eve (Thu 24 Dec) is expected to close early at around 5pm, Christmas Day (Fri 25 Dec) is closed, and Boxing Day (Sat 26 Dec) typically runs 11am to 7pm. Confirm the published times in December.
Does Covent Garden do late night shopping?
Yes — shops trade until 8pm Monday to Saturday as standard, with the restaurants and Piazza open later. The longest late-night season is December, when many shops stay open until 10pm.
What time does the Apple Store in Covent Garden open?
The Apple store at 1–7 The Piazza opens 10am to 8pm Monday to Saturday, and noon to 6pm on Sunday — slightly later than the district’s 11am Sunday start. As hours can change for product launches and events, check Apple’s own store page before a special trip.
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